T-Mobile CEO's tweet reminds us they're still in last place

T-Mobile CEO John Legere is no stranger to Twitter, and definitely not shy about sharing his feelings. The outspoken leader of T-Mobile has once again made a proclamation that his company will make another big push, moving ahead of Sprint by year's end. In doing so, he also reminded us just where T-Mobile sits in the grand scheme of things.

Sprint is not a carrier many find favor with. In customer satisfactions surveys, they typically trend dead last. With regard to coverage, they're also bottom-dwelling in many locations. Overall, they're on a downturn.

T-Mobile is the antithesis of that, pulling themselves up by the bootstraps to regain a status in the US. They've improved their network coverage, made strides to implement LTE in many markets, and some coverage reports even have them blowing everyone else away. When we check OpenSignal for their rankings of US carrier coverage, T-Mobile is technically third — but not by much.

Legere tweeted a familiar jab, prodding new Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure with some (hopefully) friendly banter. Now that AT&T CEO #Randall has ignored him, Legere needs a new sparring partner. His quip on becoming the number one prepaid carrier was only the beginning, though, as Legere went on to say he thinks T-Mobile can usurp Sprint for the number three carrier spot by the end of the year.

That only reminds us that T-Mobile, for all the Uncarrier bravado and intensely smart business moves they've made the past year or so, is still the little fish in this big pond. That was highlighted when it was found that a T-Mobile/Sprint merger would put the new company at number three in the US. Combining forces still wouldn't have toppled the Verizon/AT&T duopoly.

They may find favor with customers, and be improving their status overall, but parent company Deutsche Telekom is still reportedly shopping them around. French carrier Iliad is said to have a slew of backers ready to help them absorb little magenta, too. Save for the FCC's objections, T-Mobile as we know it may have ceased to exist in a merger with Sprint.

Still, T-Mobile plugs along, undeterred, ready to tweet-on all comers. They're still the little dog in the race, too; despite all the savvy action, they're still last-place in the US, though they now hope to shed that moniker. Legere even has a hashtag for his new cause: #OvertakeSprint.

It will be interesting to see if they can by 2015.